Bottle carrier



Jan. 27', 1948. H. H. MARSHALL 2,435,173

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed April 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

Jan. 27, 1948 H. H. MARSHALL BOTTLE-CARRIER Filed April 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR: BY: i

HTI'UIVNE'YS Patented Jan. 27, 1948 BOTTLE CARRIER Henry Hall Marshall, Garden City, N. Y., assignor. by mesne assignments, to Pabst Brewing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation oi Delaware Application April 11, 1944, Serial No. 530,453

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to bottle carriers and more particularly to folded carton like devices of this character which are adapted to be packed with the bottles in shipping cases.

In this type of bottle carrier, a central panel or section is provided, which projects up between two rows of bottles, and has a handhole by which the carrier may be lifted to carry the bottles. The center section must project above the bottles so that the handhole may clear the bottle caps. However, inasmuch as the carriers with the bottles therein are stacked one above the other in a shipping case, this projecting handle portion had to be folded, which has concealed printing of advertising or-promotional matter on the central panel, in addition to weakening or mutilating the material of the same.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bottle carrier having a central portion which can be moved from a position below the bottle caps to a position in which the handhole clears the bottle caps, without foldin the central portion and without concealing printed matter thereon.

This object is accomplished in a preferred form of the present invention by providing an upstanding partition and a handle portion vertically slidably connected thereto, preferably by providing parallel vertical slots in said upstanding partition with spacers in the slots, overlapping said handle portion on both sides of said partition portion, and driving fastening means through the overlapping portions and the spacers.

Another object is to provide a bottle carrier in which the side portions of the bottle receiving compartments are pulled in when the bottle carrier is lifted by its handle portion so as to p the bottles. 7

Other objects are to provide a bottle carrier which is economical in construction, utilizing a minimum of sheet material, which can be loaded by case loading machines, which has a center partition held vertically when placed empty in the shipping case, which has a maximum area for promotional printed matter free of cuts or openmgs.

Other objects will be obvious from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred 2 embodiment of bottle carrier in open position ready to receive the bottles;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a blank for forming the same;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through the slotted connection along the line t-i of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the handle portion slid down below the tops of the bottles to clear the carrier there'above;

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the handle portion raised to clear the handhole from the bottle tops, and to pull in the side portions to grip the bottles; and

Figure 6 is a side view of the carrier in collapsed or closed position.

As shown in Figure 2 the bottle carrier is formed of a blank B comprising a single piece of sheet material, generally flexible, non-metallic, and fibrous, and preferably paper or cardboard of sufllcient thickness and strength to support the bottles.

The blank B is cut or stamped to the desired outline and with the desired openings, and scored or otherwise provided with a fold line It near the center of its length. Additional scoring on each side of the fold line ill divides the blank into handle portions i2, top portions l3, side portions It, bottom portions l5 and partition portions it and 39.

Near the fold line to, the handle portions are provided with handholes I! and it. The handhole I8 is formed by cutting out a flap 89 larger than the handhole I1, and folding it along the fold line 20 and forcing it through the smaller handhole l7, so that the overlapping portions of the flap will lock the two together. i

The top portions l3 are defined by interrupted fold lines 22 and 23. The material between these fold lines is cut to form holes 24, 25 and 26 for receiving the bottles, but leaving extensions 2| and 29 integral with the handle portion and interrupting the fold lines. The material between the holes forms tabs or straps 21 and 28.

The side portions it are defined by fold lines- 23 and 30. Lateral extensions 32 of the blank are defined by longitudinal fold lines 3| on each side, aligned with the main longitudinal edges of the blank. The parts of these lateral extensions integral with the top portions l3 form and tabs or straps 35 and 36.

The bottom portions l5 are rectangular panels defined by fold lines 30 and 33. The partition portions l3 and 33 are rectangular panels extending beyond the fold lines 38, the partition portion 33 being of greater extent than the other partition portion ii.

The partition portion 33 has internal cutting and scoring to define elongated slots 42. Each slot 42 has a transverse spacer l3 bridging the same. Where the spacer joins the edge of the slot, the blank is scored and cut through for the greater part, leaving small integral connections 45.

To form the blank into a bottle carrier, the

lateral extensions 32 are folded in along the fold.

lines 2| toward each other. Then the bottom and partition, as a. unit on each end, are folded in along the fold line 30 toward the other unit. Thereafter the blank is folded along the fold line l between the handle portions.

This brings the bottom and partition units together in contacting relation in a vertical plane, outside of which the side, top and handle portions extend vertically in succession in parallel planes.

This folding brings the spacers 43 into register with and between the handle portion extensions 2| and 29. Staples 46 are driven through these registering parts, and other staples 41 are driven through the contactin partition portions l6 and 33, where the same are exposed by the bottle apertures 24, 25 and 26.

The bottom portions are now spread apart, which causes the side portions to separate, and in turn spread the top portions, so that in fully opened position, shown in Figure 3, rectangular bottle receiving compartments are formed.

The small integral connections 45 hold the handle portions in position while the bottles are delivered into these compartments bythe loading mechanism, which bends down the tabs 21 and 28 between the bottles, and bends downwardly and outwardly the end tabs 35 and 36.

When the loaded carriers are stocked in the shipping case, the small integral connections are light enou h to break away, thus permit ting the spacer 43 to slide down the slot 42 and bring the top of the handle portion below the tops of the bottles, as shown in Figure 4.

When the case is unpacked, the handle portion is lifted to bring the handhole clear of the bottle tops. This movement slides the spacers 43 up to the top of the slots 42. and inclines the top portions upwardly'toward the center. as shown in Figure 5, so that the straps formed by the cushion tabs 21 and 28, and the end tabs 35 and 38 serve to pull the bottles together and make the loading more compact.

The spacers 43 serve the purpose of presenting a broad cardboard edge to the top of the slots 42 so that the same will not be torn away by the sharp edge of the staple. At the same time, they serve to space the two opposite faces of the handle portion, so that the partition portion will not bind, but instead will be free to move up and down.

This invention is not l mited to the precise details disclosed, but instead embraces equivalents within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bottle carrier comprising a pair of bottle receiving compartments with an upstanding partition therebetween provided with parallel vertical slots, and a handle portion having a handhole and provided with slides guided and retained in said slots, said slides when at the lower ends of said slots locating said handle portion below the tops of said bottles, and when at the upper ends of said slots locating said handhole clear of said bottle tops.

2. A bottle carrier including a bottom and comprising a pair of bottle receiving compartments having side portions with an upstanding partition therebetween, connected to said bottom, a handle portion vertically slidably connected to said partition, and means connecting said handle portion to said side portions and actuated by lifting said handle portion for pulling said side portions inwardly to grip the bottles in said compartments.

3. A bottle carrier including a bottom and comprising a pair of bottle receiving compartments having side portions with an upstanding partition therebetween, connected to said bottom, a handle portion vertically slidably connected to said partition, and straps connecting the bottom of said handle portion to the tops of said side portions, whereby lifting said handle portion pulls on said straps, and said straps pull the tops of said side portions inwardly to grip the bottles in said compartments.

4. A bottle carrier comprising a pair of bottle receiving compartments with an upstanding partition therebetween provided with parallel vertical closed slots, a handle portion thereabove having extensions on each side of said partition overlapping said slots, and means connecting said extensions through said slots providing for relative sliding movement of said handle ortion and said partition.

5. A bottle carrier comprising a pair of bottle receiving compartments with an upstanding partition therebetween provided with parallel vertical closed slots, spacers in said slots, a handle portion on each side of said partition overlapping said spacers, and fastening means passing through each spacer and the P rtions overlapping the same.

6. A bottle carrier comprising a pair of bottle receiving compartments with an upstanding partition therebetween provided with parallel vertical slots having an upper end wall, spacers bridging said slots and integral with said partition but weakened at the juncture of their ends with the sides of the corresponding slots, a handle having portions on each side of said partition overlapping said spacers, and fastening means passing through said overlapping portions and said spacers.

'7. A bottle carrier comprising a bottom, side walls connected thereto for inward swinging movement, a partition connected to said bottom, a handle, horizontal straps connecting said handle to the upper edges of said side walls and a slidable connection between said handle and said partition providing for movement of said handle in either direction from a position in which said straps extend horizontally to move said side walls inwardly to grip the bottles in either of the moved Positions of said handle.

8. A bottle carrier comprising a bottom, side walls connected thereto for inward swinging movement, a partition connected to said bottom, a handle, horizontal straps connecting said handle to the upper edges of said side walls and a slidable connection between said handle and said partition providing for movement oi. said handle from a position in which said straps extend horizontally to move said side walls inwardly to grip the bottles in the moved position of said handle.

HENRY HALL MARSHALL.

REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number D. 130,065 476,150 1,896,677 1,906,647

Name Date De Rico et al. Oct. 21, 1941 Knight May 31, 1892 Myers Feb. 7, 1933 Smith et a1 May 2, 1933 Number,

Potter Apr; 17, 1945 

